City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 3/13/06 Item Number: A-4
AGENDA ITEM: Resolution Authorizing an Application for the Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to Improve Public Safety in the
Downtown Business District
Contact Person/Dept.: Lt. Ed Baughan Phone Number: (310) 253-6260
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [ ] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: Master Notification List (03/09/06)
Department Approval: William Burck,
Chief of Police (03/01/06)
CAO Approval: Jerry B. Fulwood
(03/09/06)
City Controller Approval:
Marlee Chang (03/09/06)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing and application for
the Fiscal Year 06-07 funding cycle appropriation of the U.S. Department of Justice,
“Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program” grant funds for
specific projects to improve public safety.
BACKGROUND:
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program provides
funds to law enforcement agencies to prevent and control crime. JAG programs
provide agencies with the flexibility to prioritize needs and to place grant funds
where they are needed most.
The JAG Grant establishes a program of criminal justice grants administered by the
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to aid state and local
governments in implementing effective criminal justice improvement projects. Grant
funds may be used to support projects that improve the prevention, apprehension,
prosecution, adjudication, detention, and rehabilitation of violent crime and drug
offenders. Additionally, law enforcement projects, including officer training, are
eligible for funding.
The Culver City Police Department is eligible to receive $10,526 to use over a four
year program period. The Department has requested and received tentative
approval from the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Staff to contribute $1,951 to
the proposed program.
1 City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
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The Police Department’s application Number 2006-F1133-CA-DJ was accepted and
is pending approval with the Department of Justice.
PROPOSED USE OF FUNDS
The primary objective of the Culver City Police Department is to identify weekend
dates (Friday or Saturday) and times that represent the highest crime rate in the
Downtown Business district. The Police Department is eligible to receive $10,529 in
grant funds through the JAG grant. This amount would fund approximately 175.5
hours of overtime for a Police Officer. To fully implement the intended program for
one year requires an additional 32.5 hours of overtime which equates to $1,951 for a
total funding amount of $12,480. With a total of 208 hours of overtime funding, one
uniform officer working with a uniform reserve officer would be assigned to the
Downtown Business District to patrol and suppress developing crime problems. The
specific weekend days and hours will be determined based on crime pattern analysis
Federal funds must be used to supplement existing funds for program activities and
cannot replace, or supplant, nonfederal funds that have been appropriated for the
same purpose.
Length of Award
Awards are made in the first fiscal year of the appropriation and may be expended
during the following 3 years, for a total of 4 years. Extensions beyond this period
may be made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Director of Bureau of
Justice Assistance. The Department intends to use all the funds for this one year
program, beginning no earlier than July 1, 2006 and concluding prior to June 30,
2007.
Match
A match is not required with the JAG Program; however for the program to run for
one full year, the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Staff has tentatively agreed to
fund the overtime assignment for 32.5 hours at a cost to the agency of $1,951.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The program is completely funded by the grant, including officer benefit package and
liability reserves.
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
3
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Grant Program Narrative
2. Proposed Resolution Authorizing the Filing of the City’s 2006-07 Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Adopt a Resolution authorizing the filing of the 2006-07 application for funding
from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to fund one
officer on an overtime basis one day per week for assignment in the Downtown
Business District; and,
2. Contingent upon award of the Grant, authorize staff to include in the Fiscal Year
2006/2007 Proposed Budget an amount of $10,529 in the Grant Fund for
revenues from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to
be utilized to fund an officer on an overtime basis one day per week for
assignment in the Downtown Business District beginning no earlier than July 1,
2006; and,
3. Designate the Chief Administrative Officer, or his designee, as the authorized
City official to execute and file all documents pertaining to the Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, including the application, follow-up
documentation, and amendments and other documents needed to implement the
grant program.
MEETING DATE March 13, 2006
AGENDA ITEM Resolution Authorizing an Application for the Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to Improve Public Safety in the
Downtown Business District
ATTACHMENTS
Pages|109| Proposed Resolution 1|109| Program Narrative
2-3RESOLUTION NO 2006-R00_
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF
AN APPLICATION FOR THE EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL
JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM FOR FY 2006-2007
WHEREAS, the City of Culver City, a municipal corporation within the
State of California, operating under a Charter filed in the office of the Secretary of
State in January 21, 1947, possess legal authority to apply for Federal
Assistance under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program
and
WHEREAS, the procedures established by the Edward Byrne Memorial
Justice Assistance Grant Program require the approval of application to be
certified by resolution
NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Culver City, California,
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE, as follows|109| Authorizes the filing of an application for Federal Assistance under
the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program for Fiscal Year
2006-2007
2 Designates the Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Culver
City or his designee, as the authorized representative of the City of Culver City
to act in connection with the application to execute documents and to provide
such additional information as may be required
APPROVED and ADOPTED this day 2006
ALBERT VERA, Mayor
City of Culver City, California
ATTEST APPROVED AS TO FORM
CHRISTOPHER ARMENTA CAROL A SCHWAB
City Clerk City AttorneyPROGRAM NARRATIVE AND BACKGROUND
Crime Suppression in Downtown Business District
The City recently completed a redevelopment project in its downtown area which
includes a 1500 seat movie theater complex, 300 seat live theater, several new restaurants
serving alcoholic beverages and a new supermarket with a specialized section devoted to
exotic beers and wines as well as the traditional hard liquors These businesses are all
within a short walking distance to a park with a history of homeless and alcohol related
problems This park, Culver Media Park, was leased from the City of Los Angeles by
Culver City in an effort to clean up the area This lease was entered into with the specific
intent of cleaning up the dilapidated park and eliminating a major homeless problem,
many of whom have alcohol related problems For decades this park served as a
gathenng place of illegal consumption of alcohol and drug use Because the park was
actually in the city of Los Angeles but for all practical purposes appeared to be in the
City of Culver City, it was considered a safe haven for illegal activities The new theater
complex is less then one block from Culver Media Park and the illegal activities present
for many years have proven difficult to stop
The area around the theater complex contains a high concentration of businesses serving
alcoholic beverages There are fourteen on-sale liquor establishments, and one liquor
store within one block of the downtown Due to the close proximity of these
establishments to the park, there is heavy foot traffic between the bars, the city operated
parking structures and Media Park It has also become a gathering spot for teen and
preteen youths to loiter
In response to the overload of calls for service from the downtown area, in 2003 the
police department assigned two uniformed police officers to focus patrol in the
downtown area on Tuesdays, the day a Farmer s Street market is present This day
represented the largest increase in calls for police services in the area and the officers are
very effective at preventing crimes These officers called the "downtown officer patrol
unit," have the primary responsibility of the downtown business area for four hours on
Tuesday evenings The officers conduct routine foot patrol and Segway patrol of the
downtown area Due to budgetary constraints, Tuesdays, are the only evenings uniform
patrol officers are specifically assigned to the Downtown Business Distnct
The primary objective of the Culver City Police Department is to identify weekend dates
(Friday or Saturday) and times that represent the highest crime rate in the Downtown
Business district The Police Department is eligible to receive $10,529 in grant funds
from the U S Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice
Assistance, Edward Bryne Memonal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) The $10,529
would fund approximately 175 5 hours of overtime for a Police Officer To implement
the intended program for one year requires an additional 32 5 hours or $1,951 With a
total of 208 hours of overtime funding, one uniform officer working with a uniform
reserve officer would be assigned to the Downtown Business District to patrol and
z.
1suppress developing cnme problems The weekend days and hours will be determined
based on cnme pattern analysis
The Department is requested the additional $1,951 in funds from the Redevelopment
Agency, as the officers would be assigned exclusively to the area of downtown within the
Redevelopment Areas boundaries The Redevelopment Agency approved the additional
funding for the program on February 27, 2006
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA AFFECTED BY THE PROJECT
The project will pnmanly take place in the immediate Culver City Downtown area This
is an approximately one square mile area and is bordered by the City of Los Angeles on
the north
ANTICIPATE START DATE FOR PROJECT
The project will begin almost immediately upon announcement of funding approval and
continue for one year The Operations Bureau and the Reserve Section of the
Department will schedule officers for the uniform patrol assignments|101013|